Electrically actuated wheeled toy

ABSTRACT

AN ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED WHEELED TOY HAS A PAIR OF DRIVING WHEELS INDEPENDENTLY DRIVEN BY RESPECTIVE ELECTRIC MOTORS. EACH MOTOR HAS A RESPECTIVE ENERGIZING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF ELECTRIC POTENTIAL ON THE VEHICLE. A SENSING MEMBER AT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE CARRIES THREE CONTACTS FOR SLIDING ON A SURFACE ON WHICH A RUNWAY IS DRAWN OR IMPRINTED IN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL. THE RUNWAY HAS A WIDTH SUCH THAT NORMALLY ONLY THE CENTER SLIDING CONTACT ENGAGES THE RUNWAY BUT, ON A CURVED PORTION OF THE RUNWAY, THE CENTER CONTACT AND ONE OF THE TWO OUTER CONTACTS ARE ELECTRICALLY INTERCONNECTED. THIS EFFECTS DE-ENERGIZATION OF ONE OF THE MOTORS SO THAT THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY TURNS TO FOLLOW THE CURVATURE OF THE RUNWAY. A TERMINAL PORTION OF THE RUNWAY IS LATERALLY EXTENDED SO THAT ALL THREE SLIDING CONTACTS ARE   ELECTRICALLY INTERCONNECTED, EFFECTING DE-ENERGIZATION OF BOTH MOTORS.

March 16, 1971 NOBUOv ODA ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED WHEELED TOY Filed Feb.19, 1968 INVENTOR N 0 B U 0 0 DH BY I I I and W United States Patent3,570,180 ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED WHEELED TOY Nobuo Oda, Tokyo, Japan,assignor to Gunze Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, and Omega Denshi KogyoKabushiki Kaisha, Yokohama, Japan Filed Feb. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 706,498Claims priority, application Japan, Mar. 1, 1967,

42/ 12,549 Int. Cl. A6311 33/26 U.S. Cl. 46-244 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE An electrically actuated wheeled toy has a pair of drivingwheels independently driven by respective electric motors. Each motorhas a respective energizing circuit connected to a source of electricpotential on the vehicle. A sensing member at the front of the vehiclecarries three contacts for sliding on a surface on which a runway isdrawn or imprinted in electrically conductive material. The runway has awidth such that normally only the center sliding contact engages therunway but, on a curved portion of the runway, the center contact andone of the two outer contacts are electrically interconnected. Thisefiects de-energization of one of the motors so that the vehicleautomatically turns to follow the curvature of the runway. A terminalportion of the runway is laterally extended so that all three slidingcontacts are electrically interconnected, effecting de-energization ofboth motors.

The present invention relates to an electrically actuated wheeled toybased on a quite novel principle.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electricallyactuated wheeled toy of a simple structure so adapted that the toy maybe advanced, turned leftwards and rightwards and/or stopped, as onelikes, through a desired runway constituted from conductive andinsulating materials.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained withreference to accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing dispositions of main elements mounted on achassis of a desired configuration, for example an automobile, shownwith a frame member removed therefrom;

FIG. 2 is electric circuits of the above embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an actuating principle of a toyaccording to the present invention.

Numerals 1, 1 are front driving wheels, which are rotatably mounted onopposite ends of a rod or axle 4 pivoted at 3 on the upper surface of achassis 2 of insulating material, such as a plastic compositionmaterial. Rear driving wheels 5 and 6 are independently driven byrespective motors ML and MR, through the medium of respective reductiongears 7 and 8. E is an electric source mounted on the central part ofthe chassis 2. A sensing member 9, having conductive sliding contacts9a, 9b, 9c, is secured onto the front part of the chassis 2 in a mannersuch that the sliding contacts are disposed at equal distances from eachother with inclined top ends thereof extending downwardly, so that theymay slide on the driving surface when the chassis 2 is actuated.

In FIG. 3, 10 is a runway which is drawn in an appropriate configurationwith a conductive material, such as a lead pencil on an insulator 1'1constituted from papers or boards. Runway 10 has preferably a width atleast similar to or slightly larger than those of said sliding contacts.Runway 10 together with insulator 11 forms a support surface for the toyvehicle, with runway 10 constituting the first part of the supportsurface and that 3,570,180 Patented Mar. 16, 1971 part of insulator 11outside of but contiguous with runway 10 constituting a second part ofthe support surface.

Runway 10 is constituted from a rectilineal part 10a, a right curvedpart 10b, a left curved part 10c and a terminal part 10d, which are sodesignated for explanation.

In the rectilineal part 10a of runway 10, the sliding contact 9b ofsensing member 9 slides on the conductive runway 10 and the right andleft hand sliding contacts 9a and 9c slide on the insulator 11.

In the right curved part 10b, the centrally positioned sliding contact9b and the right-hand sliding contact 9a are positioned on the runway 10and, in turn, in the left curved part 100, the sliding contact 9b andthe lefthand sliding contact are positioned thereon. In the terminalpart 10d all three sliding contacts 9a, 9b, 9c are positioned entirelyon the runway 10.

Connections of respective sliding contacts 90, 9b and 9c are shown inFIG. 2, in which QR1 and QR2 are transistors for controlling aright-hand driving motor MR, KL- l and QL-2 are transistors forcontrolling a left-hand driving motor ML, and R4, R2 and R3 are biasresistors.

SW is a manually operable switch. When switch SW is closed, electriccurrent flows in the collector emitter circuit of the transistor QR-2,which is biased to the conductive state by the resistor R-2, and thenflows through the motor MR to complete a circuit to a cathode or aterminal of the electric source. Thus, the righthand driving motor MR isenergized.

On the side of the left-hand driving motor ML elec tric current flowsthrough the transistor QL-2 and the motor ML to complete a circuit inthe same manner, and consequently the left-hand driving motor ML isenergized.

Now, when sliding contacts 9a and 9b are interconnected (in practicethey are connected through the right curved part "10b of the conductiverunway 10), the base of the transistor QR-l is biased since the resistorR-1 is connected with the cathodic circuit of the electric source E.

Consequently the emitter-collector circuit of the transistor QR-l is ina conductive state, and the base of the transistor QR-Z is biased to thenon-conductive state, blocking conduction of this transistor. Thus,rotation of the right-hand driving wheel MR is stopped. Meanwhile, thecircuit of the left-hand driving motor ML, through the transistor QL1and QL-2, is left unaffected, since sliding contacts 91) and 9c of thesensing member 9 are not interconnected and therefore the motor ML ismaintained energized. Consequently the chassis 2 is steered to the rightdirection.

Further, when sliding contacts 9b and 9c of the sensing member 9 areinterconnected (actually connected through the left curved part 10c ofthe runway 10), energization of the left-hand driving motor ML isinterrupted, while the right-hand driving motor MR is maintainedenergized. Thus, the chassis is steered leftwards.

When all the sliding contacts 9a, 9b and 9c of the sensing member 9become interconnected (practically in the terminal part 10d of therunway 10), energization of both the left and right hand driving motorsML and MR is interrupted.

In the structure as described hereinabove, and if the conductive runway10, constituting a rectilineal part and left and right curved parts, isdrawn with a desired conductive material such as pencils on news-papersused as an insulator 11, a car may be actuated along said runway.

In this case, if the runway 10 and the insulator 11 have the same color,it will increase interests of game-players because of difficultdiscrimination of the outer appearances of the runway 10 and theinsulator 11.

In the present embodiment, the runway is formed in a continuous linewith a conductive material, and in another case it may be a dotted-linerunway. Further, an insulating runway drawn on a conductive material isapplicable with a similar effect.

As described hereinabove, in the present invention motor circuits forrotating right and left hand driving wheels are independently formed,and sliding contacts for opening and closing the motor circuits are slidon a runway formed with conductive and insulating materials, andtherefore expected objects can be effectively attained.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrically driven wheeled toy comprising, in comination, achassis; a pair of driving wheels rotatably mounted on said chassis; apair of electric motors each driving a respective driving wheelindependently of the other driving wheel; a source of electricpotential; a pair of energizing circuits each including said source anda respective motor; and a total of three contacts comprising a pair offirst contacts and a second contact mounted on said toy for slidingengagement with a support surface including a first part, defining atrack having curved sections,'and a second part contiguous with thetrack, one of the parts being formed of insulating material and theother of electrically conductive material; each first contrack; eachfirst contact, when engaged with the track, ef ond contact beingintermediate said first contacts and being continuously engageable withthe track, and said first contacts engaging the track only in curvedportions of the track; each first contact, when engaged with the track,effecting deactivation of its associated energizing circuit, which theother energizing circuit remains activated, to steer the vehicle bydifferential rotation of said driving wheels.

2. An electrically driven wheeled toy, as claimed in 4 claim 1, in whichthe track is formed of electrically conductive material.

3. An electrically driven wheeled toy, as claimed in claim 1, in whichthe track is formed of insulating material.

4. An electrically driven wheeled toy, as claimed in claim 1, in whicheach energizing circuit includes a respective first transistor whoseconductivity is controlled by the associated first contact.

5. An electrically driven wheeled toy, as claimed in claim 4, includinga pair of second transistors, each controlling the conductivity of arespective first transistor; each first contact controlling theconductivity of a respective second transistor.

6. An electrically driven wheeled toy, as claimed in claim 5, in whicheach first transistor normally is biased to a conductive state, and eachsecond transistor normally is biased to a non-conductive state; eachfirst contact, when engaged with the track, triggering the associatedsecond transistor conductive, and each second transistor, when triggeredconductive, triggering the associated second transistor non-conductive.

7. An electrically driven wheeled toy, as claimed in claim 1, in whichsaid source of electric potential comprises a battery carried by saidtoy.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1967 Zalkind 46----24-4 9/1967Chaplenko 46244X

